The One That Says Ferb and Vanessa
by karly05
Summary: Romantical Romance with Ferb & Vanessa.  The Fluffinator is set to 10; you have been warned.  The rating is just because of the 'living arrangements,' there's nothing really T about what actually happens in the story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Romantical romance with Ferb and Vanessa. The Fluffinator is set to 10, and the Mush is about to blow the roof off this place; you have been warned. I went with the "T" rating simply because of the living arrangements, but there's nothing "T" going on in the content of the story. I made it 2 chapters primarily because of the POV shift.**

**Characters belong to Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh**

The One That Says Ferb and Vanessa

PART 1

Ferb Fletcher had finished his last class for the day and was checking his phone before heading home when he found the voice message from his mother.

"Ferb, honey, it's Mom. Your Dad got back from England this morning. Give me a call when you get this. Love you, hon. Bye."

His fingers were shaking as he tapped at the phone – oh, not to the extent that anyone else would have noticed, but he could feel the tremor, along with the sudden acceleration of his heart. _Calm down_, he warned himself. _Too soon to get excited, you don't even know that's what she's calling about._ But, he couldn't think of any other reason she would have left that message. Certainly not with that tone in her voice. Calling her back, he caught himself holding his breath until she picked up.

"Hi, Sweetie," she answered.

Ferb exhaled at the sound. He was surprised to find himself a bit hoarse as he replied, "Hello, Mum. I got your message. What's up?"

"Can you talk?" she asked, guardedly.

"Yes, I can talk," a smile crept over his lips at the question. "You said Dad's home. I take it he found something interesting."

"Well, I certainly hope so. He must have been to half a dozen estate sales and three or four auctions. I'm surprised he was able to get all of it through the airport."

"In other words," said Ferb, with a nervous chuckle, "you've both had enough of my whinging and if I'm not satisfied this time, you're giving up on me."

"Oh, Sweetie, we'd never give up." He could hear the reassuring hug he would have received if he'd been beside her. "But, I'm not sure what else we can do."

"Mum, you and Dad have done so much for me already, you have no idea how appreciative I am. I never expected you to go to all this trouble."

It was true. Ferb had had one little heart-to-heart with his mother, just to get her feminine input on how he was supposed to find something perfect when he wasn't even certain what 'perfect' was. The next thing he knew, his parents were putting him in touch with their network of dealers and collectors, Dad was taking him to sales, Mum was trying to help him design something, all to no avail. After nearly four months of searching, Ferb still could not convince himself that he had found The One.

As much as he loved Vanessa, he wished she had been a bit more helpful. But, she wanted him to make the choice. The only guidance he had managed to get from her was that he didn't need to break the bank on it, and it didn't have to be traditional. In fact, she liked the idea of, "Something kind of different – special."

"Like you," Ferb had agreed, stroking her cheek.

"Like _us_," she had corrected him with a kiss. "I can't explain it, but I'm sure you'll know it when you see it. It'll be the one that says 'Ferb and Vanessa.'"

Now, his mother was assuring him that it was no trouble at all, and he was asking, "Are you at home? Is it all right if I come over tonight?"

"Honey, it's a three hour drive," Mum had pointed out, as if he didn't know this. "You're welcome to wait till this weekend, or whenever you have time…"

"No, I'd like to get this over with," he insisted, then flinched at how that sounded. "Unless you have plans, or…"

"We'll be here," Mum said, with a fond laugh. "Take your time, be careful."

"I will," he promised. Once they ended the conversation, Ferb hurried home to the Love Nest (as Vanessa had dubbed their little bungalow) to drop off his things and give his sweetheart a quick call. She was at work, and he hoped she was in a position to answer her phone. Ferb was afraid he might have to leave a message, and was ready to swing by the store and see her in person before he hit the road, when he was greeted by a brisk but cheery, "Hey, Ferb."

"Hello, Vanessa," with a smile, he gave his usual reply. Others might have opted for "Darling" or "Baby" or "Love," but her name was so beautiful, he preferred it to any such commonplace words. "I'm on my way to Danville in a minute."

"What, tonight?" She sounded surprised.

"I'm just going by Mum and Dad's for a bit. I'll be back as soon as I can," Ferb promised.

"All right, be careful."

He caught the trace of anxiety in her tone. Ferb never meant to distress them, but it did amuse him a bit, the way the women in his life were always fussing at him to be careful. "Don't worry, I will," he reassured Vanessa now, in a tender voice. "I love you."

"Love you, too," she answered. "Text me when you head back this way, okay?"

"All right," he agreed. They ended the call with their usual overlapping flurry of "See you later," "Love," "Love," "Bye," and Ferb grabbed his car keys. Fingers crossed for his eventual success, he started up the plum and buttercream coupe and headed south for Danville.

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

PART 2

Vanessa's shift at the supermarket pharmacy counter ended at six, and as she headed home she found herself worrying. Why would Ferb drive all the way to Danville on a weeknight unless there was something wrong? She wished he would have come by the store before he left; he was easier for her to read in person than over the phone. Clearly, something was up, and he was being his own darling, exasperating, closed-mouthed self about it. Oh, she would know what it was eventually. Vanessa trusted Ferb completely, and he always told her everything, sooner or later. But, when something was bothering him, he had the tendency to keep it to himself at first, mulling it over before he was ready to discuss it. She hoped there wasn't anything wrong with his parents. Lawrence and Linda were always so sweet to her; they had become practically a second family. Frankly, a far less dysfunctional one than her own.

She missed Ferb's presence at home. There was no point in making a fuss over dinner if he wasn't there to share it, and she was certain he would grab a bite at his parents', so she simply threw together a salad, warmed up a bowl of his leftover chili from the fridge and plopped down in front of the TV. Out of habit, she flipped on one of those house-hunting shows. It was funny how she could almost hear him watching alongside her, tossing out his comments: "But you can pull up the ugly carpets, look at the _bones_." "They're going to spend way too much updating that kitchen." "That's not a back yard, there's not even room for a proper tree." Ever since he had been given their landlord's blessing to make a few renovations on the bungalow, Ferb had been looking with more and more interest toward architecture as a profession and, with two years to go on his engineering degree at Ackerton State, he was already scoping out appropriate graduate schools. Vanessa could easily imagine him making a career out of building and restoring houses with a mix of historic charm and modern conveniences.

Vanessa finished her dinner and puttered around the house until 7:30 or so, when Ferb texted to say he'd made it to Danville. About an hour later, he texted again to say that he was headed back to Ackerton. She knew he wouldn't expect her to wait up, but she did, anyway. That is, she intended to, but somewhere between local news and talk show monologue she dozed off on the couch. The familiar purr of his car gave her a nudge, and the sound of his key in the front door woke her fully. She was groggily raising herself into a sitting position and reaching to shut off the TV when her green-haired darling walked in, took one look at her, and said, exactly as she had predicted:

"I didn't mean for you to wait up."

As he locked up, she got to her feet and went to him. "Are your parents all right?"

He looked puzzled by the question and said, "They're fine." Then, breaking out in a smile, Ferb caught her around the waist and lifted her off the floor, spinning her in a circle as she gave a little exclamation of surprise and grabbed him around the neck. "We're all fine. The world is fine." Planting a series of kisses on her cheeks, nose, chin, wherever his lips found landfall, he set her on her feet again. At this point, Vanessa noticed that he was holding a small brown paper bag, like a lunch sack, rolled down tight and taped shut.

"Tell me that's one of your Mom's oatmeal raisin cookies," she said, making a playful grab for it.

Ferb snatched it out of her reach with a clear look of alarm and quickly hid it behind his back. Before Vanessa could make sense of his expression, it melted away, and he said, with that touch of bashfulness that always charmed her, "Could we sit down for a moment?"

Side by side with her on the couch, he switched on the lamp on the end table, and turned the little bag over in his hands. "I hadn't planned to bring this up tonight," he began, slowly, "but since we're both awake… I went to my parents' because Dad just got back from a trip to England, and he wanted to show me some things he found there. I brought this home because I want your opinion on it."

Well, whatever it was, it wasn't an oatmeal raisin cookie, thought Vanessa, watching him fondle the brown paper packet. Her brain was still puzzling over his words, but some little corner of her heart seemed to have an idea, because she could feel it fluttering. Ferb slipped a finger gently under her chin and tipped her face up so she was gazing directly into his eyes. "I need your _honest_ opinion," he emphasized. "If it's not absolutely perfect, you _have_ to tell me, and I'll try again."

Vanessa felt her eyes widen as the fluttery bit of her heart woke up the rest of it and set it to pounding. It couldn't possibly be what she was starting to think it was. But Ferb's expression was so intent and earnest, nervous and happy and anxious and eager, no matter how hard he strove to rein it in, that all of a sudden she couldn't imagine it being anything else.

He broke the tape with his thumb, then looked at her again and said, "Honest opinion_."_

Speechless, Vanessa could only nod. The paper bag crinkled loudly in the silence as he unrolled it and reached inside. Hesitating again, he gave her an awkward little smile and said, "I hope you can forgive the presentation. I really did think you'd be asleep when I got home, and I'd have tomorrow to arrange this properly. Mum tried to warn me, but of course, I'm just a silly chap and I didn't listen."

Vanessa managed to squeeze out three words: "Ferb, stop blathering."

"Right," he blushed. "Sorry." From the bag he gingerly drew out a little nest of crumpled tissue paper. Holding it in his palm so she could see, he gave her one more stern command of, "Total honesty," and pulled back the paper.

Her heart stopped. Vanessa could have sworn that her heart literally stopped for a moment before it launched itself into her throat and stuck there. Against the white tissue, the golden gleam of an antique ring stood out, ornamented with a soft glow of green. Ferb carefully picked it up and held it for her closer inspection. A rectangular emerald, not exactly the shade of his hair but near enough, was framed in a gold setting that ran horizontally, as part of the band, which was not quite a quarter-inch wide. The ring was thicker on either side of the gemstone, to allow for a pattern of small flowers embossed into the gold. The complete effect was delicate, and pretty, and spoke of a bygone era of gallant gentlemen and gracious ladies and the tender affections that bound them together.

Vanessa had never considered herself the weepy sort, but she could feel the waterworks building up pressure as she choked out, "Ferb…! How…? Where…?"

His voice was hardly more than a whisper, and she suspected that he was striving to contain a bit of ocular moistness of his own as he said, "It came from an estate sale in Devon. Late Georgian, my father says. He brought back a whole tray of things, but the moment I saw this one, I knew…"

Their eyes met, and she lost all hope of holding back her tears as she quavered, "It was the one that said Ferb and Vanessa."

Vanessa was smiling and sobbing all at once, her weakness seeming to renew Ferb's strength as he, still clutching the ring, jumped up to fetch her a box of tissues. Perching beside her again, he was quietly attentive as she wiped her eyes and blew her nose, then, at length, when she had regained control of herself more or less, he ventured, "I take it you approve."

With a little laugh that threatened to burst again into sobs, she nodded.

"In that case…" Ferb slipped off the sofa and positioned himself on one knee.

"Oh, no, no," Vanessa waved him off, "give me another minute before I go to pieces all over again."

Ferb sat back on his heel and waited patiently while she further depleted the tissue box. At last, she looked at him in surrender and said, "I'm going to cry no matter what, so we'd might as well get it over with. _Oh!_" she exclaimed, covering her cheeks with both hands as she suddenly blushed bright red. "Oh, Ferb, I didn't mean that the way it sounded!"

She saw him suppress a chuckle as he replied, "It's all right. I didn't take it the way it sounded. Now," he got back up onto his knee, "shall we try this again?"

Vanessa took a deep breath and, lips wrestling with a nervous smile, nodded.

Ferb took the ring in his fingers and paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Some mental interruption, however, made him warn her abruptly, "I suspect we'll have to have this resized. It probably won't fit properly right now."

"That's all right," Vanessa assured him, surprised by how calm she suddenly felt. "It's the intent that matters."

Ferb gave this sentiment an appreciative nod, and took a deep breath, then another. Vanessa didn't know what sort of flowery speech he had planned, but she was touched beyond her expectations when the young man she adored gently lifted her left hand in his, gazed into her eyes and quietly said, "Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, I love you. Will you be my wife?"

A radiant smile enveloped her whole being as she simply replied, "Yes, Ferb Fletcher, I will."

He let out an enormous sigh of relief that appeared to surprise him as much as it did her, then declared in a shaky voice, "All right, let's give this a go," as he slipped the ring over the tip of her finger.

They were both still and silent, Vanessa on the couch and Ferb on the floor, as two pairs of eyes stared at her hand in astonishment. She was the first to breathe out, "It fits."

Ferb blinked a couple of times before he murmured, "Perfectly."

Their eyes met and, in one movement, Ferb lunged to his feet as Vanessa flung herself at him. He caught her in his arms and drew her upright as well, and they stood for a moment and hugged and laughed and released a couple of residual teardrops before they sat down again as one, arms around each other, and kissed with pure delight.

Ferb slumped back against the sofa cushions and confessed, "You have no idea how agonizing that was."

"Why?" Vanessa teased, snuggling close and laying her left hand on his chest so she could admire the new addition to it. "We've been talking about this off and on for over two years. You knew I would say yes."

"It's still a bit nerve-wracking when you finally make it official," he pointed out. Ferb nuzzled her hair and kissed her forehead before he said, "Is it too soon to set a date? I'm still thinking two summers from now, once I've finished my bachelors' degree, if that's all right."

Vanessa nodded against his shoulder. "That's fine with me. It's what we've always planned on." She craned her neck to look up at him. "So, what are your thoughts about a date?"

"Oh, no," Ferb protested. "It took me four months to find the engagement ring. You're picking the date."

"Good," Vanessa smiled, kissing his cheek. "Because I've already got one." He gave her an inquisitive look, and she wondered if he would make the connection when she proclaimed, "August 15th."

Ferb searched her eyes for a minute before he said, in a tone of embarrassed amusement, "Clearly, this is a date I should remember for some reason." When Vanessa just smirked at him, he remarked, "Looks like I'd better start organizing the Love Handel Reunion Concert now."

"That's all right," she reassured him, then confessed, "I thought you might not get it. After all, it was ten years ago."

Apparently, that was all the prompting he needed, because he realized at once, with delight: "The Pleasure Garden!"

Vanessa nodded. "I learned two important things from you that day. One was how a gentleman treats a lady. And the other was that apparently love is not only blind, it's deaf as well." She nuzzled and kissed him again. "No one else would ever tell me my hysterical cackling was charming. And actually mean it."

"I stand by my opinion," Ferb insisted. "And I like the way you think. August 15th it is."

Cuddling close to her new fiance, Vanessa let her eyelids droop and responded with a drowsy murmur as Ferb stroked her hair. Beneath her hand, still resting on his chest, she could feel the steady beating of his heart.

THE END

**A/N – If you've read Chapter 12 of Vignettes a la Carte – well, there's the backstory to Vanessa's emerald ring. And, of course, the "Pleasure Garden" exchange is a reference back to "Good Old Fashioned Fun."**


End file.
